


5 Times Geonhak Hated Having a Crush (And One Time He Didn't)

by gunwoong (sessrumnir)



Category: ONEUS (Band)
Genre: 5 Times, Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Crush, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Underage Drinking, some mild swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23145358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sessrumnir/pseuds/gunwoong
Summary: Geonhak has a crush. Because he's an idiot, that's why.
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Lee Keonhee
Comments: 14
Kudos: 94





	5 Times Geonhak Hated Having a Crush (And One Time He Didn't)

**Author's Note:**

> there are only 9 works in the keondo tag which is honestly a hate crime so i've taken it upon myself to remedy that. thanks! 
> 
> also, this may or may not have been inspired by real life events, minus the happy ending part.
> 
> big thanks to [jenny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leeminhyuk) for being the bestest ever.

**1.**

High school can be a bitch.

Sure, Geonhak likes his friends, and he’s not entirely put off by the idea of studying, and he supposes his school’s cafeteria is decent enough. But still. Waking up early. Getting into the same uniform that’s been constantly getting smaller and smaller as he hits his growth spurt. Rush hour in the morning. He could live without all of that. So when the school year starts again, he’s not ecstatic. He will be, probably. Once he remembers where he last saw his favorite pen, because he could swear it was _right here_ —

“Gee, you look taller,” Hwanwoong says in lieu of hello. He’s smiling so broadly you’d think he’s in his favorite place in the world and not in school. But maybe there’s an overlap there for him, since it’s Hwanwoong, Geonhak surmises. His friend gives him a quick hug, going on his toes to reach his back and pat him the weakest bro pat Geonhak’s ever received. “I missed you, hyung!”

“You too. You look shorter,” he jokes, and gets a well-deserved punch in the arm for that. 

Geonhak knows there’s someone standing close to them, but he’s distracted when Jaehyun and Minnie start arguing over a desk just behind them. Hwanwoong is trying to get his attention, going on his spiel spitfire about how Geonhak should _really_ join the student council this year, _seriously,_ _it’s your last year hyung, and we could use an actual athlete for our sports agenda, you know._ It’s a lot at once for someone who’s still only half awake, so he figures the new guy can find his way to someone who’s more suited to introduce him to the rest of their classmates. Except the guy is looking at Geonhak.

Staring, more like.

“You’re not gonna say hi to me?”

Geonhak turns to him, blinks once, twice. Then it dawns on him.

“ _Keonhee?”_

“Yeah, who else would it be?” Keonhee beams at him, approaching to give him a hug. Geonhak hugs him back, speechless.

The Keonhee he said _Merry Christmas, see you next year!_ to the year before was a lanky, more-mouth-than-face guy that was clearly still learning how to navigate the crowded classroom without bumping his long limbs into everything and everyone. The Keonhee before him now is still lanky and still has a big mouth, but he looks… different. Pretty. He’s gained a few inches during the holidays, growing taller still. His hair is a bit longer, nowhere similar to the frankly childish bowl cut he used to wear in his first year. His smile is big, blinding, beautiful. Geonhak’s brain is having a hard time processing all of it at once.

“You look so good,” he blurts out, not thinking. 

“Aw, shut up,” Keonhee says, feigning embarrassment. “You look good too. I like your hair!”

Geonhak pats his own head, as if trying to remember what his hair looks like. He wouldn’t know. Since when is Lee Keonhee _cute?_

“You’re not even paying attention to me,” Hwanwoong whines. “I swear, I will get you to join us. Scout’s honor!”

“You were never a boy scout,” Keonhee deadpans.

“I can still follow their code. Watch me,” Hwanwoong shoots back just as the bell rings. “See you later, hyung?”

Geonhak nods. He hopes his ears are not as red as he thinks they are. “Yeah, see you later.”

“Bye, hyung!” Keonhee waves at him, and Geonhak wonders briefly if there’s still time to transfer to a different school, preferably in another country.

**2.**

Geonhak is busy copying Jacob’s notes. He had to miss a day of school—Tuesday, of all days— and now he’s trying to make sense of whatever the hell he was supposed to have been there to learn during chemistry. Two entire periods of it, actually. He’s so screwed trying to pick that up on his own. 

Hwanwoong, Changmin, and Miyeon are sitting around him, chatting away and finishing their lunches while he keeps his head down, eyes on the notes. He wonders if he should be more worried about missing lunch for this—he could, technically, just take pics of Jacob’s notes and write it down later at home, but he doesn’t trust himself to follow through with the plan. The anxiety of having to give Jacob’s notebook back before the end of the day is the best motivator, really.

“I have cookies!” Keonhee announces as he sits down at their table. He puts down a big container with an assortment of cookies, some carefully decorated, some a different shape and color. He does some version of jazz hands, still holding the lid of the container. “Made them myself. Am I or am I not the best friend you poor souls could ever have?”

“Debatable.” Miyeon is the first to bite into one. “Oh? It’s actually good?” 

“Oh my god, it is,” Changmin adds. He stuffs the rest of the cookie into his mouth and picks another one. “Thaf’s. Amafing,” he says, mouth full.

“Quit acting surprised like I’m not actually an excellent cook.”

“You’re a _decent_ cook,” Hwanwoong corrects.

“Yeah, don’t think we forgot you almost set Hwanwoong’s kitchen on fire trying to make popcorn last year. _Popcorn_ , Keonhee,” Miyeon says, too busy fishing a sugar-coated cookie from the container to see Keonhee’s death stare. “You were featured on the school paper.”

“Only because Harin thought it was hilarious and he’s a biased journalist at best, not because it was news-worthy,” Keonhee explains. Changmin snorts. “You’re not eating?”

Geonhak looks up. The words were directed at him, and so he finds Keonhee’s eyes on him, all big and _sad._ What the fuck.

“Ah. No. I’m not.”

“Why not?”

Keonhee is pouting. Geonhak’s brain short circuits. “I don’t—I don’t know,” he says, and it sounds so pathetic to his own ears. He’s pathetic. Since when is he this pathetic? Pathetic. 

“Please try one, I made them for you guys,” Keonhee says. “There’s all kinds! You like chocolate, right? Try the chocolate chip one. And these with the white frosting are vegan and dairy-free!”

He sounds so earnest, Geonhak instinctively reaches for the cookies. He picks the chocolate chip one, and the look of pure joy on Keonhee’s face makes the goddamn metaphorical butterflies dance in his stomach. It’s ridiculous. It’s absurd. He shouldn’t be this affected by Keonhee’s smile, but he is. He takes a bite, ready to lie no matter how bad it tastes, because he’s that much of an idiot, apparently, but the cookie tastes amazing. 

“So?” Keonhee asks, expectantly.

“It’s really good,” Geonhak says, unable to contain a smile when Keonhee claps his hands, excited. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Keonhee says, and it’s so honest. He’s smiling from ear to ear, and Geonhak tries not think about his own ears and how red they must look now. 

**3.**

In retrospect, this was probably not a good idea.

Geonhak is not exactly a party guy. He likes all party things separately—music, the company of his friends, alcohol. He even likes the games. He’s excellent at beer pong, and he doesn’t even like beer that much. But something about all of that at once makes parties not really his scene. Still, he figures, he should try sometimes. It can’t hurt, right?

Wrong.

They carpooled here with Kevin driving his mom’s minivan, and Geonhak tried not to think too much about how good Keonhee looked when they pulled up at his place. He and Hwanwoong were waiting outside already, and Keonhee had clearly made an effort, even though he was dressed very (gorgeously) casually with black, tight-fitting pants and an open blue shirt over a white tee. Geonhak tries his best not to stare, but it’s hard not to when Keonhee smiles at him in the backseat, and his smile somehow outshines all the stars in the sky.

He’s _such_ a dramatic bitch when he has a crush, he realizes.

The party isn’t bad per se, but Geonhak is a bit bored. He’s leaning against a bookshelf, watching amused as Hwanwoong helps Soojin climb the table he’s already standing on, both of them more than tipsy. It’s not as messy as it sounds—the table was basically cleared beforehand for this exact purpose, and drunk Hwanwoong can be a bit of a show-off, so no one is really surprised. Geonhak has been hanging out with Changmin and a guy from his year (but in a different class) whose name he didn’t catch. He’s nursing a mocktail, wondering where the rest of their group is, when he spots them. 

It’s really weird that he does, because Geonhak is far, and the room is so crowded it doesn’t even make sense for Geonhak to see Keonhee outside, through the kitchen window. He’s in the living room, but with a direct line of sight to that particular window. The kitchen lights are on, lighting up the backyard and outlining Keonhee’s profile perfectly as he backs against the wall next to the window, the guy crowding him with a grin. He sees Keonhee laugh at something the guy says before they’re suddenly kissing.

Geonhak doesn’t have time to rationalize it—it feels, not metaphorically, like a punch to the gut. He looks away, feeling like a creep for watching, but then looks back. Yup, still kissing. He looks away again.

“Right? Hyung, back me up here,” Changmin is saying, tapping him on the shoulder. “Isn’t Rodeo better?”

“The make-up work is good, I’ll give you that. But that’s it,” the unnamed guy argues. He’s incredibly tall, Geonhak realizes, belatedly. Maybe as tall as Keonhee, he thinks, before frowning.

“I think I’m gonna go,” he says, and Changmin stares at him.

“What? Now?”

“Yeah.”

“Everything ok?”

“Yeah, I just—I promised I’d help my brother with his project. Completely forgot,” he lies through his teeth. “I’ll just call an Uber.”

“Okay,” Changmin says, still eyeing him suspiciously. “Text me when you get home?”

“Yeah, sure,” Geonhak smiles what he hopes is a convincing smile, leaving his unfinished drink on the bookshelf and walking out. As soon as he’s out of the house he takes a deep breath, pulling his phone out of his pocket to call for a ride. 

He decides to think long and hard before going to a party again. Particularly one where Keonhee is invited to. He doesn’t even like parties, anyway.

**4.**

To no one’s surprise but his own, Geonhak joins the student council. He declares he’s an unofficial member, attending meetings to get Hwanwoong off his back and help them out with anything he can as part of the football team. He suspects they just needed someone with enough knowledge of the school’s sports events to help coordinate things.

“I take that back,” he announces loudly, even though he hasn’t said anything. “You don’t want me here for my brain, you want me for my body. Just admit it.”

He sounds slightly out of breath, having just carried two desktop computers from where they were having their meeting to the room where they (sneakily) took it from. It wouldn’t have been such a demanding task if the damn things weren’t so _big_. They’re new-ish, and yet look like something straight from a 90s TV movie. 

“Don’t we all, hyung,” Hwanwoong says, dropping the cords he so helpfully helped carry over. Keonhee is helping Geonhak place the computers on the desks the way they found them. “No but really, thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”

Geonhak scoffs. “Next time just bring a laptop.”

“As soon as any of us can afford Adobe software, sure,” Hwanwoong says. “Meanwhile, I’m off to class. Remember to lock up after you leave!”

As soon as he’s out of the door, Keonhee says, “We should’ve pretended to drop one of these. Just to give him a small heart attack. Like, a tiny one.”

Geonhak laughs, “I’m not that good of an actor. And if I really did drop one of these, I’d probably have a real one. An actual heart attack, I mean.”

“Same,” Keonhee says, watching Geonhak pick and choose from the cords, figuring out which one to plug first. “Do you need help?”

“Oh, no, it’s ok. You can go, if you want.”

“It’s fine, I can stay,” Keonhee says.

He stands there, then, watching Geonhak fiddle with the cords and start plugging the computers back up. It’s a bit weird, because Keonhee is just, like, _there_ , not saying anything, and Geonhak starts overthinking—maybe he should’ve accepted his help, out of politeness? Maybe he’s judging Geonhak’s ability to actually connect the computers? Maybe he thinks Geonhak doesn’t want to be alone? Maybe he knows Geonhak has the most idiotic, pointless, ridiculous crush on him and is trying to be nice by existing next to him so Geonhak can pine in peace? (Because that’s perfectly logical, his anxiety says.) 

“All done,” he finally says, tapping the computer like he’s a repairman finishing a job. He regrets it immediately.

“Cool,” Keonhee says, walking with him out of the room, and locking the door behind them. He eyes Geonhak, a smirk playing on his lips. “See you around?”

“See you around,” Geonhak parrots back, like an idiot. 

Geonhak is still smiling when he reaches the bus stop ten minutes later, and he doesn’t know why. 

**5.**

**lee keonhee dongsaeng (19:37):**

hyung, i need some advice :<

**k geonhak (19:40):**

From me?

**lee keonhee dongsaeng (19:40):**

yeah. do you mind?

**k geonhak (19:41):**

Not at all!

Shoot

**lee keonhee dongsaeng (19:41):**

so, okay 

imagine if you had a crush on someone 

actually no nevermind i’m not gonna talk in hypotheticals

i have a crush on this guy

and he’s super cute and shy 

which is great except he’s also kinda clueless

and not that great at taking hints 

so i was wondering how i should approach him? 

like, what should i do?

**k geonhak (19:42):**

That dude with the pink hair? 

I thought you two were together already

Or at least hooking up 

**lee keonhee dongsaeng (19:43):**

donghan? his hair is purple

**k geonhak (19:43):**

Same difference

**lee keonhee dongsaeng (19:44):**

lol ok

anyway, who it is doesn’t matter

and i’m not with donghan

just!!! tell me what to do 

please 😭

**k geonhak (19:47):**

You could take him somewhere 

**lee keonhee dongsaeng (19:49):**

like on a date? 

**k geonhak (19:49):**

I mean, technically, yes?

Take him somewhere nice 

And by nice I mean somewhere he wants to go

Could be anywhere, as long as the two of you can hang out together

It doesn’t have to be fancy, it’s the company that matters 

But also don’t take him to a dumpster

**lee keonhee dongsaeng (19:50):**

please, i have standards

but basically, take him on a casual date? 

you think he’d like that?

**k geonhak (19:51):**

He’d be dumb not to

**lee keonhee dongsaeng (19:51):**

mmmmmm okay

thank you for the tips!! :) 

**k geonhak (19:53):**

No problem

**+1.**

As much as Geonhak likes to complain (loudly) about Friday practice, he’s bummed when they have to cancel it for one reason or another. But with their coach out of town, the captain on bed rest for food poisoning, and the three first-years of the team away on a school trip, there’s not much to do. So when the bell rings, he takes his time packing up his things, wondering if he has it in him to take a quick detour on his way home to the ice cream place a couple blocks away, just because he has nothing better to do that afternoon. 

That’s when a pink-cheeked Lee Keonhee sprints into the classroom. 

He waves when Geonhak spots him, and walks to Geonhak’s desk at the back of class. People are still filing out when he reaches him, smiling coyly. “Hyung, hey.” 

“Hey. Did you run here?”

Keonhee chuckles. “Kinda. I thought you might leave before I got here.”

“We do have this thing called a phone, you know.”

“Shut up? It’s for a good reason.”

“Yeah?” Geonhak stands up, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “And what is that?”

Keonhee’s smile grows on his face. “I was wondering if you wanted to catch a movie? There’s this 3p.m screening of the new 'Jurassic Park', which I know you like—“

Geonhak blanks. He just stares at Keonhee as he goes on.

“—and it’s my treat, because that’s only fair since I’m the one inviting you. And like, we can have ice cream too? There’s this new ice cream place at the mall that I’ve heard is really good, and I’ve been meaning to try it, but I haven’t, so it’s like, the perfect opportunity, right?” 

“Yeah,” Geonhak answers right away, meek, still trying to get his brain to work. Because that was not happening, was it? Was Keonhee asking him out? To see a movie? Does he even like Jurassic Park? “Do you like 'Jurassic Park'?” 

Keonhee makes a face, pretending to think hard about it. (He looks adorable.) (Geonhak is so whipped.)

“I mean, it’s dinosaurs. What’s there not to like?” Keonhee says, and the way he says it is so _Keonhee_ , Geonhak smiles. “So is that a yes?”

“Sure. Yeah. Let’s do this.”

They do that. The ice cream place is nice, but expensive, so they get the smaller portions that are still so good they bemoan capitalism and their empty wallets. Keonhee asks to taste Geonhak’s ice cream, something called a _Strawberry Volcano_ , and Geonhak doesn’t think too hard about him sharing his spoon, of course not.

The movie theater is huge, and there’s few enough people buying tickets that they get to choose the best seats. Keonhee pays for the tickets, but Geonhak insists on buying the popcorn. It feels so good, and natural, but still exciting enough that Geonhak’s heart keeps drumming against his ribcage whenever their eyes meet. He keeps wiping his clammy hands on his pants, nervousness masked by how giddy he feels. 

When the lights dim and the movie starts, they share a smile before turning to the screen.

When Keonhee rests his head on Geonhak’s shoulder, Geonhak’s heart skips a beat.

When he finally, _finally_ convinces himself that he’s not hallucinating and that Keonhee really meant _Geonhak_ when he said he had a crush on someone, and that he’s doing exactly what Geonhak suggested him do by taking him out to do something he likes, he can’t keep the smile off his face.

When Keonhee walks him home and gives him a kiss on the cheek as goodbye, Geonhak feels his ears burn red. He’s happy to see Keonhee’s ears are bright red, too.

High school can be a bitch, sure. But Geonhak’s willing to admit it can be pretty good, too. 


End file.
